I’ve posted segments of my mental skills manual on the blog over the last few months and I thought it would be helpful to have the links all on one post, from beginning to end. Below the links to each chapter are my final summary thoughts on developing mental skills.

Part I: Introduction

Part II: Self Knowledge

Part III: Comfort Zones, Confidence, and Keeping it Simple

Part IV: Introduction to Goal Setting

Part V: Goal-Setting, continued

Part VI: Dealing With Failure

Part VII: The Role of Luck

Part VIII: Developing a Routine

Part IX: Breathing Techniques

The Mental Skills Manual is based on two central themes: knowledge and performing under pressure. The concepts outlined in these sections are meant to provide you with a structure for developing a strong mental game and, ultimately, for achieving excellence and realizing all of your potential.  I offer a short-term approach to dealing with pressure that should be used until you have an understanding of your individual sources of pressure.  Use breathing, visualization, and routines to help minimize stress and pressure both on the field and off the field.  And as you continue your development, begin the long-term process of knowing who you are, knowing what you want, and knowing what to do when you don’t get it.

Knowledge and performing under pressure…know what to do and do it when it counts.  When you think about it, these two go hand in hand.  Think about how focused, confident, and committed you feel when you know what you’re doing.  Think about how easy and comfortable your actions are when you have all the answers.  And think about the opposite, how unsettling and tense you can be when you don’t know what to do.  Or how unfamiliar you feel in a new city versus zipping through shortcuts on autopilot in your hometown.  What will your performance be like when everything you do on a baseball field is as comfortable, familiar, and automatic as going home?  Maybe that is why we DO go home instead of going to “fourth base”.   Wishing you success and happiness as you round your own individual bases and touch home.

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Geoff Miller’s book, Intangibles: Big-League Stories and Strategies for Winning the Mental Game — in Baseball and in Life, was released in August, 2012. For more information and free sample chapters, please visit:

For more information, please contact Geoff Miller at miller@thewinningmind.com.